Chalcogenide materials have properties that invite their use in a number of applications such as ovonic threshold switches and phase change memory (PCM). For example, different physical states of the chalcogenide material can have different levels of electrical resistance. As one specific example, one state of a chalcogenide material, such as an amorphous state, can have a high electrical resistance, while another state, such as a crystalline state, can have a low electrical resistance. Different levels of electrical resistance can be used to store binary information. Once the binary information is stored, the information can be read by detecting the electrical resistance of the material. The fact that each state persists once fixed makes chalcogenide materials valuable in non-volatile memory (NVM) structures and devices.